Fire Captain Steven Lewis estimated structural and property damage to unit 204 from the fire reported at 7:18 p.m. at between $3,000 and $4,000. The tenant was not home and there were no injuries.

Captain Lewis said a maintenance employee was working on a copper plumbing pipe in the apartment when the pipe overheated. The maintenance worker walked away for a moment and when he came back, the pipe was on fire.

Jon Cole, 35, who lives in unit 203, said he heard the maintenance worker smash the glass of a fire extinguisher, and he called 911 when he smelled smoke.

“I was afraid it was going to spill into [unit 202], which has a child,” he said.

Cynthia Stiger, 39, was watching a movie with her 5-year-old son Jaylin in unit 202 when she started smelling smoke. A few minutes later, firefighters were in her apartment trying to get to the overheated pipe through her closet.